Dannii Minogue (born 20 October 1971)[2] is an Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, model, fashion designer, television presenter and actress. Dannii rose to prominence in the early 1980s for her roles in the Australian television talent show Young Talent Time and the soap opera Home and Away, before beginning her career as a pop singer in the early 1990s.[3] Minogue achieved early success with hits such as "Love and Kisses", "This is It", "Jump to the Beat" and "Baby Love", though by the release of her second album, her popularity as a singer had declined, leading her to make a name for herself with award-winning performances in musicals with Grease and also in Notre Dame De Paris, as well as other acting credits in The Vagina Monologues and as Lady Macbeth. The late 1990s saw a brief return to music after Minogue reinvented herself as a dance artist with "All I Wanna Do", her first number one UK Club hit.[4]

In 2001, Minogue released her biggest worldwide hit, "Who Do You Love Now?", while her subsequent album, Neon Nights, became the most successful of her career. In the UK, she has achieved 13 consecutive number one dance singles, becoming the best-performing artist on the UK Dance Chart.
Since 2007, Minogue has established herself as a talent show judge and television personality. As a singer Minogue has had a total of nine UK Top 10 singles,[5] twelve Top 30 singles in Australia,[5] thirteen Number 1 UK club Number 1 singles,[6] 7 million records sold worldwide and six Gold certified singles in Australia. She judged on Australia's Got Talent in Australia from 2007 until her departure in 2012, and until 2010, she also judged The X Factor UK, where she was the winning mentor in both 2007 and 2010 with Leon Jackson and Matt Cardle, respectively. In 2010, Minogue launched her own fashion label Project D London with her best friend Tabitha Somerset Webb. On 9 November 2011, she received an honorary doctorate degree in Media and Arts from Southampton Solent University for her 30-year varied career in the showbiz and media industry. In 2013, Minogue became a judge for the ninth series of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model,[7] and on The X Factor Australia, where she was the winning mentor that same year with Dami Im.
In 2017, Minogue took on the role as judge on the new BBC show, Let It Shine.

Dannii Minogue was brought up in Surrey Hills, Melbourne and attended Camberwell Primary School and later Camberwell High School. She is the younger daughter of accountant Ronald Charles Allan Minogue, and Carol Jones, a dancer from the United Kingdom (Maesteg, Wales).[8] She is the youngest of three children, born between 1968 and 1971; oldest sibling Kylie Minogue is also a pop singer, while brother Brendan is a news cameraman in Australia.[9]

Minogue began her career as a child on Australian television. From the age of 7, she appeared in several soap operas, including Skyways and The Sullivans. In 1982, she joined the weekly music programme Young Talent Time.[3] Minogue recorded her first solo recordings for the programme, including a cover version of Madonna's hit single "Material Girl"; during this time, she also performed live at several sold-out nationwide concert tours.[3][10] In 1988, Minogue departed from Young Talent Time to continue her acting career, appearing as the rebellious tomboyish teenager Emma Jackson on the soap opera Home and Away in 1989. Minogue remained on the programme for only a year. She proved to be popular among Australian audiences when she was nominated for a Silver Logie as the Most Popular Actress on Australian television.[10]

In September 1988, Minogue released her own fashion range, Dannii. She became interested in fashion design while appearing on Young Talent Time. Minogue had designed the clothing she had worn on the show, and the positive response from the audience resulted in her releasing her own line.[11] Minogue's debut line Dannii sold out across Australia in ten days, and was followed by three additional summer lines in 1989.

Minogue signed a recording contract with Australian-based Mushroom Records in January 1989.[10] Her first album, Dannii, was released the following year and reached number 24 on the Australian albums chart.[12] Outside Australia, the album was released in 1991, under the title Love and Kisses, and became a top 10 hit. Minogue's debut single "Love and Kisses" peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and was certified gold.[10][12] In the UK, the song reached the top 10 on the singles chart.[13] In August 1991 she embarked on an extensive promotional tour of South East Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taipei and the Philippines.

Minogue released Love and Kisses and..., a re-issue of her debut album, in November 1991. The album, a collection of dance songs, comprised tracks and remixes from Love and Kisses. It peaked at number 42 on the UK albums chart, and sold nearly 60,000 copies in its own right.[10] Several remixes by producer and DJ Steve "Silk" Hurley were successful in European dance clubs. She credits these remixes for providing her with a "new image and sound to work with" on future releases.[3] Also that year, Minogue made her feature film debut in Secrets, which co-starred Noah Taylor. The film revolved around five Australian teenagers who become stuck in the basement of a hotel in an attempt to see The Beatles. The film was not well received by audiences or critics, with Minogue's performance being described as "not all that convincing".[14]

Minogue released her second album Get into You, which included the songs "Show You the Way to Go", "This Is It" and "This Is the Way", in October 1993. The album contained uptempo dance tracks and mature poser, but despite her past chart success, failed to make the British top fifty.[13] In mid-1994, Minogue returned to television as a presenter, co-hosting Channel 4's morning show The Big Breakfast in the UK.[10] In 1995, Minogue released the singles "Rescue Me" and "Boogie Woogie", a collaboration with dance act Eurogroove. Released only in Japan, both songs reached number one on the Japanese singles chart.[10] She began recording her third album in 1995; however, Minogue and her record label, Mushroom Records, parted ways in late 1995 following a contract disagreement.[15]
The tracks recorded in 1994/1995 for Minogue's then planned 3rd album were unheard for many years, they were finally released in 2009 via Cargo Records on the compilation album The 1995 Sessions.

In 1996, Minogue resumed her co-hosting duties, presenting the Eggs on Legs road show segment. That same year, Minogue briefly hosted the children's show Disney Time and co-hosted, with Gareth Jones, the teenage Saturday morning entertainment show It's Not Just Saturday for 16. In 1997, Minogue hosted Top of the Pops, a British music chart television programme, before returning to her recording career later that year.[10] In April 1997, Minogue made her stage debut as Rizzo in the musical Grease: The Arena Spectacular. In Australia, the show sold over 450,000 tickets during its first season.[10] The following year, Minogue resumed her role as Rizzo, performing in New Zealand. At the 1998 MO Awards, Minogue was nominated for "Best Female Musical Theater Performer" for her role.[10]

Following the release of several remixes of her songs by Steve "Silk" Hurley, Minogue became interested in dance music. She commented that the remixes were "the first thing I did that was really cool and my love of dance music and clubbing started from there."[3] Minogue's interest in dance music and clubbing influenced her third album, Girl, released in September 1997, which featured collaborations with musicians such as Brian Higgins of Xenomania. The album presented a more sophisticated and adult style of dance music, but despite generally positive reviews, failed to make the British top 50.[13] The lead single "All I Wanna Do", which the Daily Mirror described as a "bass-bumping, shuddering return",[16] peaked at number four on the UK singles chart. In her native Australia, the single peaked at number eleven and was certified gold. The album's second single "Everything I Wanted" made the top 20 in the UK and the top 50 in Australia, while the third single "Disremembrance" narrowly missed the top 20 in the UK, peaking at number 21. All three singles released from Girl reached number one on the UK dance chart.[4]

In June 1998, Minogue began The Unleashed Tour, a 22-date UK tour. Mushroom Records released two budget compilation albums in December 1998, as part of the label's 25th anniversary. Released only in Australia, The Singles comprised all Minogue's single releases, while The Remixes contained popular remixes. These releases were promoted with the song "Coconut" which was previously only available as a hidden track on CD versions of the Girl album. In January 1999, following her performance at the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Minogue released the festival's first official theme song,
"Everlasting Night".[10] It appeared on the compilation CD Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras of 1999, and its music video, co-directed by Minogue, was a tribute to Australia's gay and lesbian community.[17]

In November 2001, Minogue released the single, "Who Do You Love Now?", a collaboration with Riva. Described by Sound Generator as a "nice serene and dreamy vocal on the dance floor anthem", the song peaked at number three on the UK singles chart, and reached number one on the dance charts.[18] In Australia, the song peaked at number 15, while in the United States the song was released to dance clubs, and reached number 12 on the United States' BillboardDance Club chart.[10] In 2001, Minogue signed a six-album deal with London Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music International.[19]

In March 2003, Minogue released her fourth album, Neon Nights, which the BBC called "a pleasant cocktail of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility".[20] It consisted of 1980s inspired dance-pop songs and provided Minogue with some of the strongest reviews of her career. Neon Nights peaked at number eight on the UK albums chart (her highest ranking since her debut), and produced four top 10 singles.[13] "Who Do You Love Now?" was not officially released as the first single, however it was included on the album. The official lead single was "Put the Needle on It", a 1980s inspired dance-pop song which became a top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number seven. It enjoyed top 20 success in several countries including Australia, where it peaked at number 11 and was certified gold. The second single, "I Begin to Wonder", was declared one of the "best things" on the album by Ireland's Radio Telefís Éireann and became her highest charting single in the UK, peaking at number two.[13][21] In Australia, the single garnered Minogue another top 20 hit, peaking at number 14 and was also certified gold. Third single "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" reached number five in the UK, while in Australia the single just missed the top 20, charting at number 22. Following extensive airplay by North American dance radio, Warner Music Group released the album in the United States in late 2003. Singles "I Begin to Wonder" and "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" were also substantial successes on the US dance charts.[22][10]

In June 2004, Afterlife released the album Speck of Gold, which featured Dannii on the single "Take Me Inside." The album was released in Australia in 2008, featured two different versions of the song, both featuring Dannii.

In October 2004, Minogue released the single "You Won't Forget About Me", a collaboration with the dance act Flower Power. Described by MSN Entertainment as a "real grower" and noted for its "snip snapping house beats and '80s flecked synths", the song peaked at number seven on the UK singles chart and also made the top 20 in Australia.[13][23] "Perfection", a collaboration with the Soul Seekerz, followed in October 2005 where it reached the top twenty in both the UK and Australia.

Minogue released The Hits & Beyond, a greatest hits album, in June 2006. The album consisted of new songs alongside singles from her four studio albums. It debuted at number 17 on the UK albums chart. The album introduced a new single, "So Under Pressure", inspired by the cancer diagnoses of her sister Kylie as well as that of an unnamed friend. On 11 December Minogue performed "Kids" with her sister Kylie during Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour in Melbourne and "Celebration" on 31 December in London at Wembley Arena. The single made the top 20 in Australia and the UK and also became her 10th consecutive song to reach the number one spot on the UK Upfront Club chart. Minogue has described the recording of "So Under Pressure" as a "real achievement" as she was "brave enough to put all [her feelings] into words".[24] In September 2006, Minogue's cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" appeared on Spirit of Christmas, a compilation album of holiday songs available through the Myer department store chain across Australia.[25]

In November 2006, Minogue performed Sister Sledge's 1979 song "He's the Greatest Dancer" on BBC One's Children in Need telethon. A studio version of the song, remixed by Fugitive, appeared on the dance compilation Clubland 10, which was released in November 2006.[26] The following month, "He's the Greatest Dancer" was released to UK dance clubs and reached number one on the Upfront Club chart.[27] It also charted in the top 40 on the Australian singles chart.

In early 2008, Minogue was hired as the headline performer at Australian Fashion Week. In particular she was booked to make an appearance as the opening party hosted by MAC Cosmetics. She also released Club Disco as a double album in Australia with some changes to the track listing. At the start of 2009, a digital compilation album, "The Early Years", was released online that featured songs from Minogue's first two studio albums.

On 7 December 2009, Minogue released The 1995 Sessions, an album full of previously unreleased recordings made for what would have been her then third studio album, which never materialized due to differences with her then label.[31] On the same date, Dannii re-released remastered editions of her first two albums with MCA Records, her debut Love & Kisses and the follow-up Get into You.[32][33] In total Minogue's music has achieved more than 200 weeks on the UK Sales Chart and she has sold more than seven-million records worldwide.[citation needed] On 23 June 2010, ITV2 announced Dannii Minogue: Style Queen, a three-part documentary about Minogue's fashion line "Project D", The X Factor, motherhood, her partner Kris Smith, and her return to music as well as writing her autobiography – My Story, which was produced by Steve Vizard and broadcast in Australia on Foxtel.

2011–present: This Is It: The Very Best Of, Summer of Love and Holding On[edit]

In February 2015, Minogue announced that, after a long hiatus, she planned to make her musical comeback at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Minogue also revealed she had been working on new music.[37] Following the announcement, Minogue, British rapper Reece Robertson and the official Sydney Mardi Gras profiles launched a mysterious online campaign on social media featuring the #pressplay hashtag. At the end of February, Sydney Mardi Gras shared a YouTube link to a video called #pressplay featuring the extended mix of "Summer of Love".[38] On 2 March, the extended mix of "Summer of Love" was made available to pre-order on iTunes.[39]

In August 2017, Minogue confirmed that she would be a support act for Take That on their first Australian tour in over twenty years, which would take place that November. She also announced a new single entitled "Holding On" would be released on 11 August, and that more new music would be released around the time of the tour. On 2 November 2017, Minogue confirmed she would release a new song entitled “Galaxy” on 10 November, a day before the tour is due to start.

Throughout the fifth series, several people in the entertainment industry, including Ronan Keating,[46]Noel Gallagher[47] and Graham Norton[48] questioned Minogue's judging credentials and mentoring ability. On 22 November 2008, during a live broadcast of the programme, Minogue broke down in tears and was unable to introduce one of her acts, Rachel Hylton, following an on-air row with Louis Walsh over a choice of song.[49][50] Despite the controversies, she proved popular in public votes and polls.[51][52] Minogue later stated that she did not enjoy her experience on the fifth series and "would never want to go through that again".[53] Minogue returned for the sixth series in 2009. She chose Rachel Adedeji, Lucie Jones and Stacey Solomon as her final three acts to compete in the live shows and was assisted at the judges' houses stage by her older sister, Kylie Minogue. Despite losing Adedeji in week 4 and Jones the following week, Solomon went on to advance into the final and ultimately finish in third place. In 2010, Minogue was pregnant.[54] She later stated that, as her baby's expected arrival in July would clash with filming for The X Factor, she would be unable to judge in the audition episodes for the seventh series.[55] Minogue returned during the judges' houses round,[56] selecting Nicolo Festa, Matt Cardle and Aiden Grimshaw as her final three, with Paije Richardson as her wildcard act. Minogue was assisted by fellow Australian and friend Natalie Imbruglia who was a guest judge in Birmingham that year filling in for Minogue. Cardle was her only act to make it into the final and eventually won, with Minogue becoming the winning mentor for the second time.[57][58]

In 2007, Minogue was hired by Simon Cowell to become a judge on the Seven Network talent show Australia's Got Talent along with Red Symons and Tom Burlinson. It was after this series that Minogue was offered the role on The X Factor UK after Cowell thought she proved good as a judge on Australia's Got Talent. She returned to the panel for seasons two and three in 2008 and 2009. Australia's Got Talent returned for a fourth season in 2010,[61] and Minogue was the only original judge to remain on the panel as producers revamped the series. Brian McFadden and Kyle Sandilands took the places of Red Symons and Tom Burlinson.[62] Minogue also returned for the fifth season in 2011 and the sixth season in 2012. In November 2012, it was announced that Minogue would not be returning for the seventh season in an attempt to reboot the show. She was replaced by Geri Halliwell in the Nine Network's version of the show.

In 1999, Minogue returned to theatre, starring in the production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play received mixed reviews; critic Matt Grant wrote that Minogue "lacks true conviction as she ploughs through the lines without capturing their full force",[63] while Fiachra Gibbons singled Minogue's performance out, noting in her review that Minogue's "disco-queen-from-hell delivery works well" for her character, Lady Macbeth.[64] Two years later, Minogue appeared as Esmeralda in the musical production of Notre-Dame de Paris in London's West End. The musical received poor reviews from British critics who called it "lame" and its songs "reminiscent of [the] Eurovision song contest".[65] At the 2002 Maxim Awards, she won "Best Stage Performance" for her role.[10] In 2001, Minogue also appeared in the stage play The Vagina Monologues, which co-starred Kika Markham and Meera Syal.[10]

In June 2003, Minogue hosted her own radio programme, Dannii Minogue's Neon Nights. Broadcast in Australia and the UK, Minogue played songs by up-and-coming DJs, as well as her own music.[66] Minogue departed London Records when Warner (its parent owner) dismissed its staff and offered Minogue a deal to depart the label or stay and wait a year to release her next album which had been partially recorded. Minogue collaborated with producers Hugo Lira, Gareth Young, Ian Masterson, Ross Callum and Pascal Gabriel. Many of these tracks where later released on the album "Unleashed". Later that year she signed a new contract with independent dance label All Around the World Records.[19]

In the late 1980s Minogue had a fashion range that she designed which was sold in Target Australia.

Since joining The X Factor and Australia's Got Talent in 2007, Minogue has become a Style Icon in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, receiving critical acclaim from various fashion designers such as Victoria Beckham and wearing dresses from J'Aton Couture, Antonio Berardi, Dolce & Gabbana, Marchesa, Philip Armstrong, Carla Zampatti, Gucci and Aurelio Costarella and has featured on fashion magazines like Cosmopolitan, InStyle and Vogue. The press in Britain have especially taken notice of her sense of fashion and different hair styles since Cheryl Cole joined The X Factor in 2008 often comparing both of them. The praise Minogue got from the tabloids on The X Factor lead her to set up her own line called Project D along with a fragrance. The first line from Project D by Dannii and Tabitha was sold exclusively by Selfridges in the United Kingdom, the Spring / Summer line was showcased by Minogue during the live first Sunday night show of The X Factor Season 7, wearing her Jingle prom-style dress. In August 2012 the label was rebranded and relaunched as Project D London.[67] On 5 July 2013 Minogue announced that she would no longer be associated with Project D London, ending a three-year collaboration with Tabitha Somerset-Webb.[citation needed]

In late July 2011, it was announced that Minogue would serve as the ambassador for 2011's Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, a role that will see Minogue participate in a series of appearances in September.[68]

In 2014 Minogue continued her expansion into the fashion world by launching her own ecommerce store danniishop.com[permanent dead link].[69] In addition, Minogue announced the launch of her petite clothing line through Target Australia. To date, Minogue has released six Dannii For Target Petites Collection ranges along with a range of shoes and accessories.[70]

In January 1994, Minogue married actor Julian McMahon, whom she met in 1991 while working on the television series Home and Away.[75] McMahon is the son of the former Prime Minister of AustraliaSir William McMahon. Minogue and McMahon were married for less than two years and divorced in 1995. In October 1995, Minogue posed nude in the Australian edition of Playboy. Commenting on the reason she posed nude, Minogue said she "just had a marriage break-up. Most women go to the hairdressers – I did Playboy. I chose the photographer, the location, what I did or didn't want to wear and everything else about the pictures. I found it a really liberating, empowering experience".[76]

In early 2002, she began dating music producer and Bros bassist Craig Logan, whom she met while recording material for Neon Nights. Media reports in March 2002 claimed Minogue and Logan were engaged,[78] but in December 2002 they ended their relationship.[79]

In August 2008, Minogue began dating English model and ex-professional rugby league player Kris Smith (born 20 August 1978). They met in Ibiza, where Smith was celebrating his 30th birthday. It was announced on 9 January 2010 that Minogue was pregnant, the news was revealed after receiving her 12-week scan.[80] Minogue gave birth via caesarean section to a boy, Ethan Edward Minogue-Smith,[81] at Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia on 5 July 2010[82] who weighed in at 8 lb 3oz.[81] She had previously planned for a home birth.[83][84][85] In April 2012, Minogue announced on Twitter that she and Smith had separated.

In 2002, the British National Party, a far-right and anti-immigration political party, claimed that Minogue supported their cause following comments she had made in an interview with Britain's GQ. In the interview, Minogue was quoted saying that French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen had "struck a chord with people", and that "even the street signs [in Australia] are written in Asian".[86] Minogue responded to the British National Party's claims in Gay Times magazine saying, "I am not a racist. That is not how I live my life. I have a Jewish manager, I perform in gay clubs, I come from a multicultural background and I am very proud of that."[87]

Minogue received much criticism during series 6 of The X Factor. Controversy began after the first live show on 10 October, after Minogue commented on press reports stating that Danyl Johnson was bisexual. After his performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", in which he had changed the gender of the person being addressed in the song from male to female, Minogue remarked to Johnson on air that he didn't need to change the gender if the press was to be believed. Minogue's remarks sparked an online backlash.[88] Minogue released a statement on the issue:

"I want to clear up exactly what happened on last night's X Factor show and post my sincere apologies to anyone who took offence. I made a comment about Danyl changing the lyrics of his song. It was meant to be a humorous moment about the fact he has an opportunity to have fun with his song. An openly bisexual singing a song that is lyrically a 'girl's song'. Danyl and I were joking about the very same thing in rehearsals on Friday, so it carried on to the show. I'd like to apologise to anyone that was offended by my comments, it was never my intention. I spoke to Danyl straight after the show last night and he wasn't offended or upset by my comments, and knew exactly what I was saying."[89]

Minogue also apologised on the live results show on 11 October, saying Johnson was not upset by her comments.[90] It has since been reported that British regulator Ofcom received around 4,000 complaints from viewers over the comment.[91] As a result, Ofcom launched an investigation, which cleared Minogue and The X Factor. No penalties were imposed.

Throughout her career Minogue has often been compared with her sister, Kylie. Referring to the comparison, Minogue said: "[I]t is hard to be compared all the time to Kylie. On the other hand, however, people will always try to compare you to somebody. Look at Britney and Christina."[92] In an interview with Elle in April 2009, Kylie criticised X Factor judge Louis Walsh for his jibes at her sister: "I'm so proud of my sister and it annoys the hell out of me when comparisons between us are made. In England you lot don't know where she came from. She was on TV every week from 7 years old. It makes it harder for her when she gets Louis Walsh's rather pathetic jibes – one of which is she hasn't had a hit record and that's just not true." She also denied rumours that she did not get along with Cheryl Cole and that she had referred to former judge Sharon Osbourne as "so cheap".

Minogue is an ambassador for the Terrence Higgins Trust, an organization that works to increase awareness of AIDS. She joined the charity in hope that her endorsement would encourage people to discuss safe sex and the disease more openly.[94] In 2004 she posed nude, wrapped only in a red ribbon, to promote World AIDS Day in Australia and the UK.[94] She has long been a supporter of breast cancer research and in August 2008 became an ambassador for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal.[95]